Biden Arrives in S. Korea for Talks with Yoon (Photos)

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday, the first stop on his first trip to Asia as president, to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The visit comes in line with Biden's attempts to counter China's influence and build economic ties that are likely to be overshadowed by North Korean threats.

Biden landed at the U.S. airbase in Osan, south of Seoul. The two will tour a Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) plant together on Friday ahead of a full day of events and talks on Saturday.

South Korea is expected to be among the inaugural members of Biden's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will be announced during the trip to set standards on labor, the environment and supply chains.

Asked about Beijing's opposition to the IPEF, Yoon told reporters on Friday that joining the framework does not have to conflict with South Korea's economic ties with China.

"There is no need to see it as a zero-sum," he said.

The two leaders will meet at least once each day, with Saturday dedicated to their summit and the other two days dedicated to either an economic security event or a national security event, Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, noted.

Kim said: “At the moment, we assess that the possibility is relatively low of North Korea carrying out a nuclear test by the weekend, but preparations for an intercontinental ballistic missile launch appear to be imminent.”